The potential benefits and risks of using cloning technology on humans.

Richard Barclay

The Potential Benefits and Risks of Human Cloning

In this essay I will be looking at the potential benefits and risks of using cloning technology on humans.

Cloning, and human cloning is a subject of which there are many viewpoints, and almost everyone has an opinion, but the fact is that very few people actually know how cloning works or have really thought about how it can benefit, or cause problems for, mankind.

One important potential use for human cloning technology is for organ transplants this is a type of ‘therapeutic cloning’, if a transplanted organ is a perfect version of a damaged or underdeveloped organ, it could replace the organ with no fear of tissue rejection. With this technology, it brings the possibility of curing many diseases such as kidney disease, heart disease, lung disease, and many more. It also brings the possibility of curing cancer, for example an organ could be invaded with cancer and the chances of successful removal very slim. It could be possible for an entire organ to be replaced with no tissue rejection, very little cancer tissue remaining and the chances of re-establishment would be minimal. Therefore there would be very little need for anti-rejection drugs, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. (Available from: www.clonaid.com (accessed on 22/11/2002)).

Another potential use for human cloning is the use of stem cells, (another type of ‘therapeutic cloning’). Stem cells are the basis of nearly every cell in our bodies, and have the ability to change into many different types of cell. They are made by making a cloned embryo of a person and breaking the cells that are dividing into individual cells, not allowing the foetus to ever form. Once there are enough stem cells, the cells can then be injected into a patient, and the cells will transform into whatever cells are needed. This technology has already been successfully used in repairing the severed spinal cord of a patient who had broken his back. It could also potentially be used to treat degenerative disorders such as Dementia and Alzheimers, autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, and perhaps genetic and hereditary disorders like Sickle Cell Anaemia, and Huntingdon’s Chorea. (Available from: www.clonaid.com (accessed on 22/11/2002)).

Cloning technology can also be used to help people who are unable to have children naturally, for example infertile couples or same sex couples. With cloning technology it is possible to have children that are the biological children of the parents.

The most controversial of all uses for cloning is cloning people and allowing them to fully mature. For example some scientists may feel they could, with the aid of cloning, replace a child lost through miscarriage, still birth or death due to prematurity. (www.clonaid.com)

This brings us on to the ability to fertilize several combinations of two ...

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This brings us on to the ability to fertilize several combinations of two parents’ genes, and give parents the ability to choose which embryo to let develop. This if anything would primarily be used as to help parents with genetic disorders to choose an unaffected embryo. This could also be abused to give parents the ability to choose a child’s gender, and perhaps even choose its inherited characteristics. This technology could be thought of as choosing a ‘designer baby’. Some people may argue that it is just choosing the genetically superior offspring, rather than literally designing the child.

This use for cloning technology is fairly low risk however many people are against all types of cloning, and see it as ‘Playing God’ by creating life artificially. The majority of these people however are very religious people who take their religion very seriously. For example Gilbert Meilaender (1997), a Protestant Theologian argues that cloning will sever the link between procreation and sexual relations between a man and woman will not teach children properly about making babies. Also, as a Christian he believes in not having sex until after marriage, to have a child artificially a couple don’t need to have sex, and therefore unmarried couples could have children, even couples who cannot get married. Homosexual couples could, with cloning technology, have a biological child. This is another way in which he believes that cloning will “violate the dignity of children (1998 p.189)” as he puts it. Other Christians and Jews disagree with cloning because it goes against ‘Genesis’ in the bible. Other religions such as Islam and Buddhism are not so strongly opposed, in the Islam culture it is believed that if something is against the will of God, it cannot be done, and that God’s Divine Will is absolute. Therefore if human cloning is possible, it is not against the will of God. Some Muslims however, argue that cloning would violate the Islamic teachings about family heritage, and would eliminate the role of fathers in the creation of a child. Buddhist however are slightly confused over whether in their culture a clone would have the same soul as the original person and if a clone would live life in exactly the same way and have almost exactly the same experiences as the original person. As an atheist religion they cannot say that human cloning is against God’s will or playing God, so they have very few objections. (McGee et al. 1998)

Overall I can see that there are no problems with human cloning as long as it is used responsibly, the only major thing holding cloning research back are the many religious people who are so worried about the ethical implications, they cannot see the many quite obvious benefits that the development of human cloning can bring. Thirty years ago the world was outraged by the first test tube baby, but today it is commonplace. Perhaps thirty years from now the use of medical technologies derived from cloning will also become an everyday occurrence.

References

Meilaender, G. (First Things June/July 1997) Human cloning would violate the dignity of children. In McGee, G. (ed.), The Human Cloning Debate. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Hills Books, pp 189-96

Post, S G. (America Press, vol. 176:21 1997, pp 19-22) The Judaeo-Christian case against cloning. In McGee, G. (ed.), The Human Cloning Debate. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Hills Books, pp 197-204

Ravindra, R. et al. (Tricycle Magazine Summer 1997) Buddhists on cloning. In McGee, G. (ed.), The Human Cloning Debate. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Hills Books, pp 227-230

Sachedina, A. (New Perspectives Quarterly Winter 1994, pp 23-24) Human clones and Gods trust: An Islamic view. In McGee, G. (ed.), The Human Cloning Debate. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Hills Books, pp 231-244

Lindsay, R. (Free Inquiry Summer 1997, pp. 15-17) Taboos without a clue: sizing up religious objections on cloning. In McGee, G. (ed.), The Human Cloning Debate. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Hills Books, pp 245-252

Human cloning – What is it? Available: http://www.clonaid.com/english/pages/human_cloning.html